New Delhi: A court here on Monday sought the response of the Delhi Police on a bail plea moved by activist Sharjeel Imam against the sedition case registered against him for allegedly delivering inflammatory speeches during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in 2020.
Imam’s fresh move seeking relief in the sedition case came following the historic Supreme Court verdict that put on hold the colonial-era penal provision of sedition (Section 124-A of the Indian Penal Code).
After the apex court’s verdict, Sharjeel approached the Delhi High Court but it asked him to approach the lower court first after Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad opposed the maintainability of his interim bail application.
Accordingly, Imam moved the Karkardooma court.
Issuing notice in the matter, the Additional Sessions Judge sought the reply of police and posted the matter for June 6.
In his fresh bail application, Imam had said that since the top court has put sedition in abeyance, his case has improved for the grant of bail.
“The appellant has been incarcerated for nearly 28 months since January 28, 2020 whereas the maximum punishment for the offences — not including 124-A IPC– are punishable up to a maximum of 7 years of imprisonment,” his plea read.
JNU scholars and activists Imam and Umar Khalid are among the nearly a dozen people involved in the alleged larger conspiracy case linked with the Delhi riots 2020, as per the Delhi Police. Imam and Khalid are facing charges in connection with the inflammatory speeches which are allegedly fuelled the violence, as per the police.
The riots broke out in the national capital in February 2020 as clashes between the anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and pro-CAA protesters took a violent turn. The mayhem, which coincided with the then US President Donald Trump’s maiden trip to India, saw more than 50 people lose their lives while over 700 were injured.
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